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The Viet Minh begin fighting against French colonial rule!!!!
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China begins providing the Viet Minh with weapons and military advisors. In response, the U.S. pledges 15 million dollars in military aid to France.
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The Viet Minh defeated the French army in the Battle of Dien Bien Phy. On July 21, France signs the Geneva Accord which caused a cease-fire between France and Vietnam. Vietnam is divided into North and South Vietnam by the 17th parallel. The Viet Minh are forced to go to the North.
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South Vietnam declares itself the Republic of Vietnam. It declares Saigon the capital and Ngo Dinh Diem the elected presented in rigged elections. Diem argues that the South Vietnam was not a part of the Geneva Accords, and cancels the 1956 elections. The North remains under the control of Ho's Communists.
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Elections are held to reuinify the country.
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The U.S. military begins training the South Vietnamese forces.
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Communist Guerillas begin an insurgency onto South Vietnam. They assassinated more than 400 South Vietnamese officials. The soldiers settled along the Mekong Delta within a year.
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THe Hanoi government forms the National Liberation Front in South Vietnam. Diem calls them the Vietcong.
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The U.S.tacitly approves of the overthrowal and execution of Diem.
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General Nguyan Khanh takes power in South Vietnam. North Vietnamese boats allegedly fire torpedoes in international waters. This leads to the Gulf of Tonkin resolutions. This allowed for President Johnson to take any measures necessary to repel armed attack on the U.S.
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The "Tet Offensive" is a military loss for Communists, but is a political victory, as Americans begin to question the U.S. military's conduct in the war.
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President Nixon approves "Operation Breakfast," covert bombing of Communist supply routes and base camps in Cambodia, without the U.S. public knowing. Ho Chi Minh dies.
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The last U.S. troops leave Vietnam due to the Paris Peace Accords which created an immediate cease-fire on January 27.
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South Vietnam surrenders to communist forces